Sindh

A ruthless slaughter

The ruthless ferocity of this attack may be indicative of IS involvement or influence

Editorial May 13, 2015

The butchery also gives the lie to the effectiveness — or otherwise — of the ongoing operation in Karachi that has yet to tackle successfully any of the extremist religious groups, some of which have political affiliations. PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS

Reports of the murder of at least 43 people on a bus in Karachi went around the world in minutes, the story being picked up as headline news by every international news organisation. The victims were all Ismailis. The Ismaili community is educated, liberal and engaged countrywide in medical and social services. It has the highest aggregated literacy rate for men and women in the country and it is notable for its pacifism. Ismailis are not militants, and on May 13 they were the softest of targets for the most ruthless of killers. A bus carrying as many as 60 people on their way to work was ambushed by men on motorcycles wearing uniforms suggestive of police or security services. They entered the bus and then killed methodically, shooting most people in the head at point-blank range. Reports say that the firing lasted as long as 20 minutes which, at the very least, begs a mass of questions as to why there was not a response from the legitimate security forces or police in that time.

Leaflets in Urdu and English were left at the scene, and Ahmed Marwat, a spokesperson for Jundullah that is one of the splinter groups of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan said that Jundullah claims the attack. Jundullah has claimed an affiliation to the Islamic State (IS) and this has to be viewed as credible. This is believed to be the first time that Ismailis have been targeted in this way, and there is, apart from stunned shock in the Ismaili community, confusion and puzzlement as to why they were singled out on this occasion. The butchery also gives the lie to the effectiveness — or otherwise — of the ongoing operation in Karachi that has yet to tackle successfully any of the extremist religious groups, some of which have political affiliations. The ruthless ferocity of this attack may be indicative of IS involvement or influence, and has provoked a swift response with the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif cancelling a planned visit to Sri Lanka and moving instead to Karachi. The butchers cannot be allowed to prevail.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2015.

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